Hims & Hers sued for ‘sharing intimate health data with Meta and Snap’

Online hair loss and erectile dysfunction drug clinic Hims & Hers is facing a lawsuit from the US Federal Trade Commission over allegations it shared users’ health data with Facebook-owner Meta and Snap. 

The watchdog filed the lawsuit on Wednesday in Los Angeles County and Utah, alleging the company – which also provides weight-loss medication – shared sensitive patient information despite claiming its services protect users’ privacy. 

The firm, one of America’s largest telehealth providers with more than two million subscribers, is also accused of deceptive billing practices that made it difficult for customers to cancel subscriptions. 

Christopher Mufarrige, the director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said: ‘The FTC will not hesitate to act ​on behalf of consumers deprived of their ability to choose which products they want ‌and ⁠whether to keep their most sensitive health information private.

‘The FTC’s complaint lays out a troubling scenario – consumers unknowingly locked into recurring subscriptions and the disclosure to third parties of consumers’ most private health information without their consent.’

In a post on X, Hims & Hers branded the claims ‘baseless’. 

A spokesman said: ‘This is not ​enforcement grounded ⁠in consumer protection; it is an effort to generate headlines at our expense.’

Hims & Hers has been sued by the Federal Trade Commission

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San Francisco-based Hims & Hers prescribes multiple medications to users every year and also offers online therapy sessions. Last year, it had a revenue of approximately $2.35billion.

In its complaint, the FTC – alongside Utah and California – said that on advertisements and on its website, Hims & Hers says patients can ‘connect’ and consult with a medical provider through its platform.

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It also said that when patients fill out their intake form, they are asked to provide billing information, despite ᴀssurances that they will not be charged.

The FTC claims, however, that most people using the website do not receive a consultation with a provider. 

It also alleges that, after submitting an intake form, most will unknowingly be charged for and subscribed to a prescription treatment without having a chance to review or approve it. 

According to the complaint, Hims & Hers enrolls patients into a recurring subscription plan for those treatments shortly after receiving the intake form.

The agency also said that Hims & Hers fails to clearly inform customers when their prescriptions will be refilled each month, which it says makes it difficult to cancel before the next bill is received.

The FTC also alleged that patients’ information had been sold to advertisers. 

It said the platform shared lists of certain customers with Meta and Snap despite promising privacy. It also said the company shared consumers’ health information via third-party tracking technologies that automatically shared when users visited the website with advertisers.

Responding to the allegations, a spokesman for Hims and Hers said the lawsuit ‘disregards’ the substantial evidence provided to the FTC during a nearly three-year investigation.

They said: ‘We are confident in our position and will vigorously defend ourselves against these baseless claims.

‘Since 2017, millions of people have relied on Hims & Hers for access to convenient and affordable care, and we are proud of that record.

‘Our customers have the information they need to make informed decisions about their care and the use of our services.

‘And our Privacy Policy makes clear that they may choose how their data is used, and that information patients share with their healthcare providers is used only in providing care.’